Let's talk about dental health

04/01/2018

Whilst many people are often concerned about their own and their children’s health, dental health is often left forgotten about. However, it should be a concern in all households as tooth decay is increasingly on the rise in the UK.

With the festive season been and gone it’s an important time to take you and your children’s dental health into consideration, especially if a high volume of sugar has been consumed over the festive period. It’s vital that we are protecting our children from cavities by teaching them the correct procedures of dental health care.

And it’s never too early to start teaching your children the importance of good dental care, as these early stages will set the foundations to help their teeth last a lifetime.

Here are some top tips on how you can keep your children’s teeth healthy:

Brush their teeth twice a day, once in the morning and once in the evening. This may seem obvious but in the UK only three quarters of children say they brush their teeth twice a day!

If you haven’t yet, take your child to the dentist. NHS dental care is free for all children under the age of 18 and it is recommended for children to attend regular check-ups.

Did you know that you shouldn’t drink water immediately after cleaning your teeth? As a lot of kids dislike the taste mint, they will be more inclined to drink water after cleaning. However, make sure only a small amount of water is consumed as the water will wash away the fluoride and will make the cleaning less effective.

Start cleaning your child’s teeth using a smear of fluoride toothpaste from the age of 12 months.

Limit how much juice they consume as juices contain high volumes of sugar which causes teeth decay.

Discourage snacking throughout the day. If your child is snacking constantly throughout the day then their teeth are in a constant acidic state which damages tooth enamel.

Move children from bottles and Sippy cups to normal cups from the age of one.